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[BattleMonkey]

Its not really just the low skill aspect, but simply these are jobs in which you are easily replaced. Without government bringing down the hammer, nothing will change.

 

[dave is ok]

Manhattan?

Yes.

 

[bangai-o]

The hell? Did you really just say 68k isn't a good living? I lived off a third of that salary for a few years. Personally, I'd feel rich if I made that.

some her on gaf dont realize how many Americans live off of 11 thousand a year.

 

[I'm an expert]

68,000 is a good living everywhere. Stop.

We're talking 68000 before or after taxes? Cause if it's before, it's pretty weak outside of the locations I mentioned. I should mention that I'm looking at it as a family man, not as a single person.

The hell? Did you really just say 68k isn't a good living? I lived off a third of that salary for a few years. Personally, I'd feel rich if I made that.

My perspective is obviously shaded by my experiences, and I grew up/schooled in the tri-state area. I recently moved back here from overseas and if I wasn't where I'm at in my career now I'd have seriously questioned living in this area.

 

[Maxim726X]

68,000 is a good living everywhere. Stop.

Not where I live.

That would about scrape someone by.

 

[sans_pants]

We're talking 68000 before or after taxes? Cause if it's before, it's pretty weak outside of the locations I mentioned. I should mention that I'm looking at it as a family man, not as a single person.

its more than the vast majority of americans make. it might not be balling in manhattan, but jobs there pay more anyway

 

[I'm an expert]

its more than the vast majority of americans make. it might not be balling in manhattan, but jobs there pay more anyway

I mean, real talk, I don't really care what Sally Sue makes in Nebraska at Walmart.. I'd rather make sure silicon valley or the financial districts or DC are making enough to get by. 68k is barely that. I do agree that minimum wage in general should be much higher than it is now to adjust for inflation (and tax rules such as student loan deductions should be adjusted as well) and cost of living.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

We're talking 68000 before or after taxes? Cause if it's before, it's pretty weak outside of the locations I mentioned. I should mention that I'm looking at it as a family man, not as a single person.

How many places have you lived? There is some serious 9th ave myopia on GAF

 

[Guevara]

$68,000 for a family is probably not enough to properly save for retirement or buy a house in many parts of the country.

But this is the problem with the working classes. We're all so petty squabbling about tens of thousands of dollars that we let the broken system, costing us in aggregate billions, continue.

 

[dave is ok]

Not where I live.

That would about scrape someone by.

You're lying.

A single person living on 68,000 a year can live anywhere in the United States quite comfortably. Even San Diego/San Francisco/Manhattan, etc.

 

[Noirulus]

A friend of mine who's in 3rd year Mechanical Eng has been unable to find a single summer internship/co-op job after over 200 applications.

The competition in Ontario for jobs in the STEM field is disgustingly fierce.

 

[I'm an expert]

How many places have you lived? There is some serious 9th ave myopia on GAF

Again, my personal experiences obviously are the basis of my views on this. I've lived in a lot of places, but most of my life was split between the NYC area and Asia.

$68,000 for a family is probably not enough to properly save for retirement or buy a house in many parts of the country.

But this is the problem with the working classes. We're all so petty squabbling about tens of thousands of dollars that we let the broken system, costing us in aggregate billions, continue.

You're lying.

A single person living on 68,000 a year can live anywhere in the United States quite comfortably. Even San Diego/San Francisco/Manhattan, etc.

Right, I'm speaking strictly from a family perspective. How single people survive is kinda meaningless since their quality of life standards will always vary. I'm sure there are dudes on gaf who are happy if they can afford ramen and games.

 

[equippedwithtowel]

A friend of mine who's in 3rd year Mechanical Eng has been unable to find a single summer internship/co-op job after over 200 applications.

The competition in Ontario for jobs in the STEM field is disgustingly fierce.

That's what I tell my friends in STEM. The few people I know in Psych or Health Sciences are going to get the last laugh.

 

[Krauser Kat]

for some reason i thought the median was lower. I feel worse about my life now. 4 years out of college and 3/4th way to median with no benefits.

 

[User 100115]

68000 is a good living? Please.. maybe in Kansas or some tumbleweed state. The issue is these jobs are now seen as the safety net of society. Kids without higher education can just jump into them and think they can coast through life if they play on the register for 30 years. It's not the 50's anymore and companies are taking advantage of it to make sure their numbers are as good as can be. That's how the cookie crumbles.

Holy crap, I would kill to be able to make 68k.

Edit: Yeah for a family it's not enough. My husband makes around that a year for a five person family, and it's not enough, hence why I would love to also make 68k, heh.

 

[Noirulus]

That's what I tell my friends in STEM. The few people I know in Psych or Health Sciences are going to get the last laugh.

If you're in something like Comp Sci, the trick is probably to gain specialization in something right after finishing your degree/while you're doing your degree. QA testing for example pays a shit ton, although the test for the certificates are difficult to obtain.

Also, I think business degrees might still have some amount of worth. A different friend has been able to land a co-op position that pays $4k/month(!!). Either he was extremely lucky or there's a demand out there.

 

[I'm an expert]

for some reason i thought the median was lower. I feel worse about my life now. 4 years out of college and 3/4th way to median with no benefits.

Holy crap, I would kill to be able to make 68k.

Where do you guys live? (just saw Fiction's edit - there ya go)

 

[Jacobi]

1. Pay your people shitty wages
2. Directly profit
3. ????

 

[xxjuicesxx]

68000 is a good living? Please.. maybe in Kansas or some tumbleweed state. The issue is these jobs are now seen as the safety net of society. Kids without higher education can just jump into them and think they can coast through life if they play on the register for 30 years. It's not the 50's anymore and companies are taking advantage of it to make sure their numbers are as good as can be. That's how the cookie crumbles.

You'd think with all that money you could buy some civility and perspective. Guess not.

Also nurses make ~66K? That sounds off...most nurses I know make 32-38K.

 

[Avinexus]

Right, I'm speaking strictly from a family perspective. How single people survive is kinda meaningless since their quality of life standards will always vary. I'm sure there are dudes on gaf who are happy if they can afford ramen and games.

The article refers to the salary of one person. If you are talking about a family perspective you would need to add in your spouses income. The graph posted earlier shows that the person in the OP, making 68k, makes more than the average household in 95% of the country.

 

[Vilix]

This wouldn't be a problem if everybody were an engineer.

Nutrition Arrangement Engineer
Currency Allocation Engineer
Garcon Applicability Engineer

Now let the doe start rolling in.

 

[Noirulus]

You'd think with all that money you could buy some civility and perspective. Guess not.

Also nurses make ~66K? That sounds off...most nurses I know make 32-38K.

Depending on the province, RNs right out of school can get paid very well here in Canada.

 

[Anno]

You'd think with all that money you could buy some civility and perspective. Guess not.

Also nurses make ~66K? That sounds off...most nurses I know make 32-38K.

Two of my friends and my sister are RNs and all three started over $50k right out of college. It seems like there are a lot of potential levels of nursing, though, so I guess I could see it going lower, but also much higher.

 

[I'm an expert]

You'd think with all that money you could buy some civility and perspective. Guess not.

Also nurses make ~66K? That sounds off...most nurses I know make 32-38K.

How was I not civil? As for perspective...................................

Anyway, most starting RNs I know make over 50k. One friend of mine from SLO moved down to San Diego for a pretty hefty pay.

 

[Dead Man]

I, for one, hope the less skilled never have a living wage and eventually die from starvation. It would allow more money to go to those that are more skilled.

Indeed. I feel bad every time I have to contribute to their wages with my purchases.

 

[PflargBlarg]

You're lying.

A single person living on 68,000 a year can live anywhere in the United States quite comfortably. Even San Diego/San Francisco/Manhattan, etc.

I agree. But I want to make sure that we're talking about a single person (or maybe 2).
I googled 'most expensive city in north america' and everything gave me Vancouver.

I live in Vancouver on a decent amount less than 68000 and I'm doing pretty well in my opinion.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

We're talking 68000 before or after taxes? Cause if it's before, it's pretty weak outside of the locations I mentioned. I should mention that I'm looking at it as a family man, not as a single person.

My dad makes that, and him, my mom, my two siblings and I life comfortably and have for as long as I can remember...

We live in New York (Great Lakes Region)

68,000 is a lot of money. Way more than most people make. Probably close to upper middle class, even with a family.

 

[I'm an expert]

My dad makes that, and him, my mom, my two siblings and I life comfortably and have for as long as I can remember...

We live in New York (Great Lakes Region)

68,000 is a lot of money. Way more than most people make. Probably close to upper middle class, even with a family.

Are we talking some place north of Syracuse like Fulton? Those are fairly rural areas.

 

[Ultima_5]

68k is not enough? My dad owns a house, two cars and paid for my college making around that. Damn GAF got a silver spoon in their mouths.

 

[Dead Man]

68k is not enough? My dad owns a house, two cars and paid for my college making around that. Damn GAF got a silver spoon in their mouths.

You must have missed the thread where 150k is not much.

 

[RedSwirl]

I love every chance I get to shit on our amazing post-2009 recovery, of record profits and ever-rising stocks... all on the backs of reduced labor, part-time employment, temp jobs, etc etc.

Can someone explain why this shows an inverse relationship? Other than wages eating into profits?

 

[endresults]

68,000 is good money, but you have to put in years to get it, even after you've passed your NCLEX. There's a shitload of specialization in nursing. Think of it like a skill tree in an RPG.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Are we talking some place north of Syracuse like Fulton? Those are fairly rural areas.

No, we're talking Rochester, a city. I actually live about 10 minutes from the dead center heart of the city.

 

[Noirulus]

Location and lifestyle are what largely dictate the value of a salary. A moderately frugal lifestyle could find 68k "rich", I suppose.

 

[I'm an expert]

No, we're talking Rochester, a city. I actually live about 10 minutes from the dead center heart of the city.

I don't want to get into specifics for everywhere people live, but Rochester in general has a pretty low cost of living.

 

[See You Next Wednesday]

America is a nation of worthless bums anyway.

here here.

 

[Dead Man]

here here.

Where where? Sorry.

 

[Ultima_5]

You must have missed the thread where 150k is not much.

Lol. Pretty sure I made a similar post in that thread aswell.

 

[Dead Man]

Lol. Pretty sure I made a similar post in that thread aswell.

Hah!

 

[balladofwindfishes]

I don't want to get into specifics for everywhere people live, but Rochester in general has a pretty low cost of living.

68,000 is the median salary of Manhattan, the most expensive city in the entire country to live.

You're living well no matter where you live with 68,000 dollars. Even the most expensive city in the entire country, you're still within "average"

 

[Lagspike_exe]

Can someone explain why this shows an inverse relationship? Other than wages eating into profits?

That's the relationship. The more you pay your workers, the greater your expenditures are, thus lower profits.

 

[I'm an expert]

68,000 is the median salary of Manhattan, the most expensive city in the entire country to live.

You're living well no matter where you live with 68,000 dollars. Even the most expensive city in the entire country, you're still within "average"

We can stop here because it'll always be subjective on what we consider living well. Hey, as long as people are happy with their quality of life, that's all that matters.

 

[M-PG71C]

You'd think with all that money you could buy some civility and perspective. Guess not.

Also nurses make ~66K? That sounds off...most nurses I know make 32-38K.

My wife and I are both RNs with BSNs and we pull in about $60K each, we both have less than two years experience. The figure is pretty accurate. The more experience you have, and certainly if you have a BSN and some certification, the more you make.

As a CNA I was making $25K roughly. Being an RN is a very stressful job, if I only made $32K I would quit lol

 

[demon]

Not where I live.

That would about scrape someone by.

If by "where I live" do you mean your city or the apartment/house that would be beyond your means at 68k/yr?

 

[Hitokage]

My useless English degree has me earning well over the median household income just a few years removed from school. It's funny how people with science degrees tend to make poor scientists and have little skill in communication.

Normally you'd expect them to have degrees which rounded them out in subjects like that, but you see resistance to this.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

We can stop here because it'll always be subjective on what we consider living well. Hey, as long as people are happy with their quality of life, that's all that matters.

Except it's been found that those making around 50,000 are the happiest, and that happiness tapers off after that amount (each subsequent raise has less of an impact on happiness).

It's not all subjective, there's actual research on this stuff. 68,000 is a lot of money for pretty much every person in the country, although it's on the lower end of a lot of money in some areas.

 

[I'm an expert]

My useless English degree has me earning well over the median household income just a few years removed from school. It's funny how people with science degrees tend to make poor scientists and have little skill in communication.

Sorry to nitpick, but I get annoyed when English majors get shat upon. It's not really the degree, it's how the person uses it.

Lol I was gonna ask what the heck you were doing but then you edited the high school part.

Except it's been found that those making around 50,000 are the happiest, and that happiness tapers off after that amount (each subsequent raise has less of an impact on happiness).

It's not all subjective, there's actual research on this stuff. 68,000 is a lot of money for pretty much every person in the country, although it's on the lower end of a lot of money in some areas.

Alright, I concede. 68k is a lot of money.

 

[chickdigger802]

A friend of mine who's in 3rd year Mechanical Eng has been unable to find a single summer internship/co-op job after over 200 applications.

The competition in Ontario for jobs in the STEM field is disgustingly fierce.

Could never find a single internship or co-op through the normal application process either. 100s of applications for 1 position.

At times like this is great to have a mom that is out open and have friends. Got many internships and experiences that way.

In the end it's all about connections. Heck I landed my current job because I was going to an interview through a recruiter that got cancelled and my mom talked about it to a friend that worked at that company, and then learned that the job manager and she were collegues. Got an interview the next week, and I got the job. Stars aligning shit yo.

Sure it's not as romantic as getting your job own your own... but gotta take what you can get.

 

[ThisWreckage]

One of the reasons why we're getting such a big influx of northerners moving down here in NC is because a person can live comfortably here on 30,000 a year. We're talking rural NC. A lot of northerners are moving down here and building 200,000 homes that would go for a million up north.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

every business ive ever worked for is ran by the most incompetent writers. its bizarre that adults could be so bad at english

that's your experience, but I've worked at places with very skilled writers.

And man am I glad for that. Means I can get in and out of the store faster by using the vacant self-checkout rather than waiting in line.

half the time those damn machines are breaking or catching a glitch.